Greens corner US energy agencies

Two USgovernment agencies have been taken to court for financing overseas projects of domestic energy firms, while overlooking their effect on global warming. The lawsuit was filed by US environmental pressure groups. It claims that the US Export-Import (EXIM) Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) have illegally contributed us $32 billion in financing projects to develop oil fields, pipelines and coal-fired power plants over the last 10 years.

The groups allege that the EXIM Bank and opic failed to follow federal law that required the agencies to assess the environmental impacts of the projects for which they provided financial backing.

The city of Boulder, Colorado, also joined in the lawsuit which was filed against the two agencies in the US district court in San Francisco. "The detrimental effects of climate change can have a negative impact on the quality of life of the residents of Boulder," said mayor of Boulder Will Toor. He added that the lawsuit was one way to force the federal government to pay attention to the critical issue of global warming.

Power plants and oil refineries are among the biggest producers of greenhouse gases -- the main cause of global warming. Ever since USPresident George W Bush withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol -- the international treaty on climate change -- last year, environmental pressure groups have been trying hard to make the government reconsider its move. The Bush administration withdrew from the pact as they feared that signing the Kyoto Protocol would hurt the US economy. The government, instead believed in promoting voluntary efforts among energy firms in the USto cut their emissions.